Sunflower Market Signs Lease at Highlands Garden Village

Media Contact:   Peggy Mackinnon (303) 320-6082

DENVER (July 7, 2005)--Sunflower Market has signed a lease for a 28,000 square-foot market at the corner of West 38 th Avenue and Wolff Street in Highlands Garden Village (HGV). Sunflower Market is an affordable healthy food market, featuring a large selection of fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and vitamins, presented in a farmer's market format.

"We are delighted that Sunflower Market has decided to serve the North Denver community from the Highlands Garden Village site," said Chuck Perry, developer of HGV. "Sunflower Market is a wonderful retailer offering fantastic prices. The market will be a great community asset, and a strong catalyst to attract other retailers to the site and the adjacent area."

The store at HGV will be Sunflower Market's third in Colorado and twelfth nationwide. The company's Colorado stores are on South Colorado Boulevard in Denver and in Fort Collins. It also operates in Arizona, Albuquerque and Las Vegas.

"The HGV store is part of our expansion plans and an ideal location for us," said Bennett Bertoli, vice president and part owner of Sunflower.   "The Highlands is a great neighborhood. We think that our concept will be well-received by this community."

Mike Gilliland, Libby Cook, Bennett Bertoli and Pat Gilliland, all of whom were Wild Oats founders, started Denver-based Sunflower Market in 2002.   The first store in Albuquerque was so successful that the company has continued to expand and plans to add three to four new locations each year.

The store is expected to open in 2006 after the building receives design review approval from the Denver Planning Board.   Prior to approval, the Denver Planning Department will submit plans to the HGV Design Review Committee and neighborhood organizations identified by the PUD for public comment. This includes neighborhood associations within 200 feet of the development.   Plans also will be posted on the Highlands Garden Village Web site www.highlandsgardenvillage.net for community review and input.

Pat McHenry of Trammel Crow represented the HGV Land Company in the transaction.

Perry said that he is committed to designing a building that will work well within the community and is consistent with the PUD and the Highlands Garden Village Design Guidelines. He said that it will be built with environmentally friendly products, recycled materials and include systems that conserve energy. Sunflower Market is interested in opening its new store as quickly as possible to serve a community that does not have a comparable option in the neighborhood.

Highlands' Garden Village is a 27-acre award winning, mixed-use, mixed-income garden village in northwest Denver. It consists of environmentally responsible single-family homes, townhouses, market-rate and affordable senior and multifamily apartments, cohousing, office and retail spaces, within a pedestrian friendly fabric of gardens, parks and walkways.

The project is being developed by Perry Rose, LLC, a Jonathan Rose Company that was founded in Denver 1994. It is a planning, development and advisory firm that provides a wide range of services to private parties, public agencies and not-for profit institutions throughout the Rocky Mountain region. The company is committed to the development of affordable housing and mixed use communities. All of its projects incorporate environmentally responsible building techniques.   In addition to Highland's Garden Village, the company redeveloped the Denver Dry Goods building in Downtown Denver.